Violence spreads as troops killed in Lebanon

Residents flee scene of violence as at 10 soldiers are killed after clashes with followers of Sunni cleric.

24 Jun 2013 05:20 GMT

Violence has flared in Lebanon after at least 10 of the army's officers and soldiers were killed in what the army has called a "cold-blooded attack".

Tensions rose after the army clashed with followers of a Sunni sheikh, Ahmad al-Assir, who is opposed to the Shia movement Hezbollah and its involvement in Syria's war.

"An armed group loyal to Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir attacked, for no reason, a Lebanese army checkpoint in the village of Abra" the Lebanese military said on Sunday. "Two officers and a soldier were killed, while several others were wounded."

Al Jazeera, however, understands that at least 10 military personnel were killed.

Assir's supporters had surrounded an army checkpoint in Abra, on the outskirts of Sidon, where a vehicle transporting other supporters of the Sunni cleric had been stopped, a security source said.

Captain Samer Tanios was one of those killed in Sunday's clashes

The army were fired on, and then returned fire, the source added.

For hours afterwards, intense battles engulfed the district, closing down businesses and forcing residents to flee with their children.

"The shells are raining down on us, and there is intense gunfire," one witness said.